Akuma Hime
by Suicidal Songstress
Summary: AU Non-Mass. Sakura's mission was to protect a scroll so when they're attacked, Sakura had orders to open it. Close to death, she does abut hadn't counted on the pain. Now in a coma, what's happening to her and where are her parents? RxR
1. Chapter 1

Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi rushed to the hospital when they heard Sakura was back from her mission in Iwa. Kiba, Lee and Shino were also taken to the hospital but not as badly as Sakura.

Their mission was to take back a sacred scroll that Iwa had stolen from a neighbouring town. They were given orders to get that scroll back at all costs. They were also told that if it came down to it, they had to open it if it looked like the enemy could get their hands on it. When they had caught up with Iwa-nin, it turned out to be an ambush. Kiba and Akamaru were poisoned while Lee was engaged with three ninja and Shino, two. Sakura disposed of one hiding in the bushes before rushing to Kiba and Akamaru's aid. Once she was done, she found the scroll on the ground before reinforcements on the opposition showed up. Now they were outnumbered ten to three.

They fought hard but it wouldn't do. Sakura was cut down with a katana, slicing into her back but not before being horrifically burnt from not being fast enough to dodge a Katon jutsu and broken and a stab wound in the shoulder from dodging the wrong way of a kunai. Before she went down, she heard Shino's order to open the scroll. When she collapsed to the ground, she reached into her shirt and opened it. Her blood soaked into it before she was lost to imagineable pain.

It was Itachi's Anbu team that found them. When they got to the scene of the battle, everything was charred, like a massive bushfire took place. The weird thing was that the unconscious team were still intact as well as a bit of grass around them. The enemy ninja were either burnt to ashes or still solid but so burnt that they were unrecognisable.

Itachi, Shisui, Genma and Neji grabbed a member each and took off back towards Konoha.

Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi weren't allowed in until Sakura was stablized. It took two hours to do so before they moved her into the same room as Kiba, Shino and Lee. They stayed by her bed and watched her heart monitor, afraid it'll cut out.

"What were you thinking, baa-chan!" Naruto yelled at Tsunade. "Sakura shouldn't be going on these kind of missions!"

"She's not strong enough," Sasuke added.

"Are you calling my student weak, brat?" Tsunade hissed. "Look, we received a message from a smaller village near here about the scroll. Action had to be taken immediately and it just so happened that Sakura and Shino were in my office at the time. They grabbed what ever ninja they came across on their way out which happened to be Kiba and Lee and they went."

"Hokage-sama," he murmured.

Tsunade turned to him.

"The...scroll..." he wheezed out.

"Tell me everything that happened," Tsunade ordered.

"When we were chasing after them, we were ambushed and Kiba was poisoned, along with Akamaru. Lee and myself fought off the ninja while Sakura tended to Kiba who looked almost dead."

Tsunade nodded. "Iwa has stepped up their game with poison," she admitted.

Shino nodded. "Sakura had taken out one of the ninja's and that ninja happened to hold the scroll. She took the scroll as we finished off the last of ninja before their reinforcements came back. We were easily taken down before I ordered Sakura to open the scroll but she had already gone down. I thought that was the end for us," Shino muttered.

"If that's true, how did you survive?" Tsunade asked.

"Sakura opened the scroll. I don't know how, with her injuries, but she did. Then she started screaming. Everyone turned to her and then she was up. She wasn't herself. Then everything around her went up in flames, everything but us. When the flames disappeared, no one was left standing but Sakura until she collapsed."

"So Sakura opened the scroll," Tsunade sighed. "I'll need to contact the town the scroll was from for more information on it."

"Do you know what was in it?" Kakashi asked when everyone but himself cleared.

"A demon."


	2. Chapter 2

He walked out of the bathroom to his room with only a towel around his waist. Once he changed, there was a knock on his door. He opened his bedroom door to see Sasuke standing there.

"What is it, otouto?" Itachi asked, annoyed.

Usually when Sasuke knocked on his door, it was to annoy or threaten him. He didn't know when it happened, that Sasuke started hating him but it did hurt him, even though he'd never show it.

Sasuke shuffled slightly. "I- uh. I wanted to thank you for saving Sakura. Tsunade-sama said that if you hadn't gotten there when you did, Sakura would have died from blood loss. So thank you."

Itachi stared at his brother for a moment, inwardly surprised. Itachi's eyes narrowed in suspicion, half expecting his brother to announce that he'd been punk'd. When he didn't, he gave his brother that rare smile of his.

"You're welcome, otouto."

"Also, do you know where Sakura's parents live? The dobe and I wanted to go over there and tell them how close Sakura was to dying and ask where they were."

Itachi shook his head. They were so protective of Sakura, it wasn't funny. If she asked them to beat up someone, they would do it then ask questions later.

"I'm sorry, I don't know where her parents live. Maybe kaa-san knows? She's always had an interest in Sakura and the two are very close."

Sasuke nodded. "Okay. Thanks anyway."

He turned to walk away when Itachi stopped him. "Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

"What happened?" Itachi asked and Sasuke knew he wasn't talking about Sakura, but about their own sibling relationship.

Sasuke had been asking himself that a lot lately, thanks to Sakura. She brought it up on their last mission together. She brought up how close Sasuke was to his older brother and then the next thing they knew, Sasuke was loathing his brother with every fibre of his body.

"I guess I let my jealousy get the better of me," Sasuke admitted. "Twelve was a tough age for me. Under pressure of activating my Sharingan, Chunin Exams, being put into Team 7 with an obsessive fan girl and my stupid rival and then Dad's favouritism. It was hard," Sasuke finished. "I guess hating you was a way of making myself feel better for a while but now I'm closer then ever with my team, I'm a Jounin and my Sharingan is activated. Sakura made me realise that I've been too caught up in hating you to realise that I have no reason to keep resenting you, not that I had a good enough reason to start in the first place."

Itachi remained silent, taking in all that was being said. He hadn't realised how hard Sasuke had it at that age, what with being under so much pressure of the clan itself. He had hoped to keep Sasuke from that pressure and he succeeded, but he knew nothing of the other troubles he had. Funny that he hadn't mentioned the Cursed Mark.

"I want things to go back to the way they were before. Could you forgive me?" Sasuke asked.

Then Itachi saw the familiar eyes of his younger brother. The familiar, uncertain, innocent look in his eyes. Itachi hid his smile by walking to Sasuke. Sasuke fought the urge to back away but held his ground.

_Poke._

Sasuke blinked, then looked up at Itachi, whose fingers were still touching his forehead from his poke. He smiled.

"Foolish otouto. There was nothing to forgive."

Sasuke rubbed his forehead before smiling. "Nii-san," he whined like he used to.

The two just smiled at each other.

"It's about time," Mikoto huffed.

The two turned to their mother.

"Actually, kaa-san," Sasuke quickly added. "I needed to ask you something. Do you know where Sakura's parents live?" Sasuke asked.

Immediately, they saw Mikoto stiffen and become guarded. "Why?" She asked.

"It's just that Sakura was injured during a mission and was close to death and her parents were no where to be found. The dobe and I have some things we'd like to say to them."

Mikoto looked down. "Don't, Sasuke."

Sasuke and Itachi looked at each other before turning back to Mikoto.

"Why? What do you know that I don't?" Sasuke asked.

Mikoto shook her head. "Just leave it, Sasuke."

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto rounded up the Rookie 12, minus the girls the next day.

"Why are we all here?" Kiba asked, having been discharged that morning.

"Does anyone know anything about Sakura's parents?" Sasuke asked.

Everyone stopped to think.

"No, I don't think I've ever seen them," Lee stated.

"I remember her mom a few years back," Shikamaru muttered.

"What about her dad?" Neji asked.

"No. It was always Sakura's mom to drop her off at the academy," Kiba confirmed.

"Do you think he's a ninja?" Naruto asked.

"I haven't heard of anyone with the last name Haruno, but that could just be chance."

"Maybe we can find their medical records?" Sasuke suggested.

"Do you really think we should do this?" Kiba asked. "I mean, there could be a reason why Sakura hasn't mentioned anything about her parents."

"Come on, Kiba. This is Sakura-chan!" Naruto called. "Does she really seem like the type of person to have a troubling past?"

"But-"

"No more talking, we're going to hunt down her parents and find out why they don't go to see her when she's in the hospital," Sasuke snapped.

* * *

The boys entered the hospital and many of the young nurses stopped to admire them. While Sasuke, Neji and Kiba talked with the women behind the desk, Naruto, Lee and Shikamaru snuck into the room with all the medical records.

"Haruno..." Shikamaru muttered as he sifted through the files.

"Hurry up, Shikamaru!" Naruto snapped quietly.

"Haruno, Sayuri. Got it," he said as he pulled it out.

He quickly flicked through it. His eyes found something about Room 216, level E. He put the file back before they snuck back out. When they met back up outside, they talked.

"What did you find?" Neji asked.

"It said something about a room on the E level. I didn't even know they had an E level. I didn't see when it said she was there, but if she was in that room, maybe she left something behind for us to find."

"So we go to level E," Sasuke nodded.

They headed back into the hospital and took the elevator. The ground level was level A. Second was level B but it stopped at level D, though underneath level A was level E.

"That's weird," Naruto commented.

"No shit."

They headed down and stepped out of the elevator. Everything was silent.

"This is creepy," Kiba muttered quietly.

"Let's just get to the room, check it out, then go," Sasuke stated.

"What number, do you know?" Neji asked.

"216."

They walked down the hallway.

200.

202.

204.

206.

208.

20-

They all spun around when they heard the elevator open and heard Ino talking with Tenten and Hinata.

"Run!" Shikamaru hissed.

They bolted down the hallway before entering a room. They closed the door quickly but quietly.

"Phew, that was close," Naruto stated then turned around. "Um...guys?"

The others turned around. Inside the room was a woman on the bed in a comatose state. She was hooked up to many machines like a heart monitor, oxygen and whatnot. The machine was the only thing keeping the woman on the bed alive.

Their eyes immediately found the number above the bed. 216.

"Is this..." Naruto couldn't finish.

The woman on the bed had brown hair so they couldn't tell. Shikamaru moved to the bed and pulled out the clipboard.

"Yes, it's Sakura's mother, Haruno Sayuri."

"How long has she been here?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru checked the clipboard and paled at the information.

"Shikamaru? What is it?" Kiba asked.

"Sayuri's been here for three years, since Sakura was twelve."

"She never said anything," Naruto stated. "She didn't act differently either."

They all surrounded the bed, looking at the woman. Her neck was scarred with a rope burn and Naruto, being the idiot had to mention what they all knew and didn't want to say due to stupidity.

"What's up with her neck?" Naruto asked.

Everyone else had paled with Shikamaru.

"Naruto, that mark was caused by rope burn."

Naruto looked at him, confused. "So someone tried to strangle Sakura's mother? Why?"

"No, Naruto. Usually when someone has rope burn on their neck, it's because they tried to, or did, commit suicide."

All the colour just drained out of his face.

"She...tried to commit suicide by hanging herself?" Naruto muttered.

No one wanted to say anything else.

"It also said that she had slit her wrists. She was determined to die."

"What the hell are you doing down here?"

They all spun around to see Ino, Tenten and Hinata.

"Girls! We- uh-"

The girls looked to Sayuri then back.

"Why are you here?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata, we can explain-"

"Then do so!" Tenten hissed.

"We noticed that Sakura's parents never came to see Sakura when she was so close to death. We wanted to go have a couple of words with them but no one seemed to know where they lived. "Except my kaa-san who didn't want to tell us," Sasuke stated.

"Our investigation led us here," Shikamaru murmured.

"Sakura is going to be upset that you're here."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Naruto asked. "We're teammates! Why didn't she tell us!"

"Because she's ashamed!" Hinata shouted at Naruto, surprising everyone. "How would you feel if you found out your mother tried to kill herself and blamed you for how crap her life was?"

"She blamed Sakura?" Kiba asked.

"That's none of your business," Tenten stopped them. "You already know too much. Leave now."

The boys didn't argue and left.


	3. Chapter 3

The boys went to Sasuke's who was going to question his mother. The Uchiha clan all stopped to stare as Sasuke led Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee, Kiba and Sai into the Uchiha compound but stopped when they saw Mikoto standing outside the house with her hands on her hips.

"Kaa-san," Sasuke greeted.

"I told you to drop it, Sasuke," she snapped.

Fugaku and Itachi were walking towards the house when they saw the commotion.

"Kaa-san-"

"No, you listen here _son_," Mikoto hissed. "I asked you to drop it but instead, you went behind my back, behind _Sakura-chan's_ back and you threw yourself into her past where you had no business sticking your nose."

"Kaa-san-"

"What's worse is that you brought more of your friends into it. Are you planning on announcing it to the rest of the world, Sasuke?"

"But kaa-san-"

"Do you know how pissed I was when I got a call from Yamanaka-chan, telling me my _son_ had snuck into the hospital, violated Sayuri-chan's medical records and went to pay her a visit? What were you thinking!" Mikoto screamed.

"Why do you care so much!" Sasuke yelled. "This shouldn't be any more your business then it is mine!"

"Sayuri was my best friend," Mikoto hissed.

Sasuke drew back as if slapped.

"I think we should take this inside, dear," Fugaku ushered them all into the main house.

Now they all stood in house.

"Sayuri-chan was my best friend. I always loved Sakura-chan as my own child as Sayuri loved Itachi."

"She knew about Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

Mikoto smiled softly before nodding. "Of course. She was your godmother," Mikoto stated. "As I am Sakura-chan's."

"How come I've heard nothing about this?" Itachi asked.

"You were five when you last saw her, then that bastard came along," Mikoto growled.

To say the boys were surprised by her language would be an understatement.

"That man, Kazumi Sachi, was a visiting ninja. When he first laid eyes on Sayuri, he wanted her. We all thought he was a loving and caring man and Sayuri fell for him. Hard. When he found out she was pregnant, he upped and left. Sayuri was heartbroken. I saw her change from the woman I loved, to a woman broken and looking for anything to blame but Sachi. She blamed Sakura. She blamed Sakura for Sachi's leaving. She always insulted Sakura, telling her it was all her fault as she grew up and every week, I'd go and visit her at her favourite park in the middle of the night where she'd just cry. I had hoped Sayuri would snap out of it but she didn't. I offered Sakura a place to stay but she denied it, choosing to stay with her mom in hopes that she'd change. Sakura loved her mother dearly and after everything she put her through, Sakura could never find it in herself to leave her. When Sakura was twelve, I went to visit both. I caught Sakura on her way back from training. We entered her house and Sakura went upstairs to fetch her mother. I heard a scream and was next to her in a split second, staring at the body hanging from the fan. I cut the rope and Sakura worked to keep her alive while I got Tsunade. Tsunade looked her over and added more touches to Sakura's work but there was nothing else we could do. Because of the cut off air supply, oxygen didn't go to her head and she had a stroke. She is now in a coma and if she ever wakes up, she'll be nothing but a vegetable."

"Did she leave a note?" Neji asked quietly.

Mikoto let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, yes. The _note_," she spat.

She walked into her bedroom then came back with a crumpled piece of paper. She handed it to Sasuke who opened it with everyone else staring over his shoulder.

_Sachi, I will always love you. I know you left because of Sakura and that you will always love me as I love you but your absence has driven me insane. Please forgive me when you come back and find me dead. I'm sorry but if I couldn't have you in my life, I didn't want to live._

_Mikoto-chan, I'm sorry we never got to hang out much but I want you to know that I still love you and wish we could have hung out more. It was lonely in the house. Say hi to Itachi-kun for me and Sakura told me you have another son, Sasuke. If she's telling the truth, say hi to Sasuke for me, too and tell them both of all the adventures we had together. I'll watch over you._

_Sakura..._

_I don't even know what to say to you. It's your fault that Sachi left me. If I hadn't been pregnant, he would still be here with me. I should have gotten the abortion when I had the chance. Because of you, I was doomed to live alone and for that, I can't forgive you. You were a mistake and a weakness on my end. If I knew the trouble you'd cause me, I would have killed you and been done with it. I hope you die alone as I have._

A growl tore it's way from Sasuke's throat. Itachi took the paper off him and read it, eyes narrowing.

"Sakura was so heartbroken. She cried for days and went to stay with Tsunade who had taken Sakura in as a daughter as well. That was when she told you guys Sakura was on a four month long mission," Mikoto stated.

"That's right," Naruto clicked. "We were so angry that she sent Sakura off without us. But now..."

"Do you see why she never told you guys? She truly did blame herself for her mothers actions."

"Idiot," Sasuke sighed.

* * *

An old woman entered the village, escorted by two of Konoha's Anbu a week later. They took her to Sakura's hospital room where Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mikoto, Shizune, Yamato and Kakashi were awaiting them.

"You must be Kaguya," Tsunade greeted.

The woman bowed. "Tsunade-hime, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Then her eyes turned to Sakura who lay comatose in bed.

"Oh, she's perfect for the Akuma Megami," Kaguya stated.

"The Akuma Megami is the one inside Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. You see, the megami is very specific about her vessel, her host. She likes them pure but with evil lurking within, tainted at the core."

"Sakura's not evil," Kakashi bit out.

"Has Sakura ever been through anything traumatic?" Kaguya asked Tsunade, who looked away.

"Yes."

"Then she is tainted. She may hide it, but inside, she is jaded."

"The Akuma Megami won't hurt Sakura-chan, will she?" Mikoto asked.

"Right now, she is meeting with Sakura inside her head. She'll go through Sakura's memories and feelings. She will strip Sakura bare to see all there is to see and then she will judge Sakura of whether or not she's worthy or being called Akuma-hime."

"What happens if she isn't?" Yamato asked.

"The Akuma Megami, Averus, will destroy Sakura from the inside, out."

"If she is?" Kakashi asked.

"Then Sakura will go through immense pain as her body is destroyed then rebuilt to accommodate Averus. You're actually very lucky that it was Sakura to open the scroll."

"Don't tell me that she rejects the male body," Tsunade groaned.

"Averus would never accept a male so your men would have been torn apart or roasted."

"How pleasant," Kakashi sighed.

"Tell us about Averus," Jiraiya urged.

"Averus is the Akuma Megami, the wife of Lucifer. You all know who Lucifer is."

Their eyes widened.

"Averus has never had a host before. None had been strong enough to handle her power or she deemed none as worthy. She is looking for a daughter. She and Lucifer wanted children but they couldn't due to a curse that was placed upon Lucifer, making him infertile. Lucifer knew how much Averus wanted children and asked her to leave him and find another more potent demon. Averus refused and stayed by his side and together, they ruled the underworld together. Then she heard that some demons had been escaping Hell somehow. She found a tear in the dimension that led to our world and found her chance to find a daughter. This was about seventeen years ago."

"So she knows about the Jinchuuriki and tailed beasts?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course. Averus and Lucifer are the creators of the beasts. They created many demon beasts and even though they are not human-like, they are still the parents of the tailed demons."

"Will Naruto be able to sense her?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes. The moment Averus becomes settled within Sakura, if she does, he will feel it and flock to her. All Jinchuuriki will seek her out, even if they don't have the demon inside them still."

"So Gaara will come too?" Kakashi wondered.

Kaguya was looking at Sakura when she noticed the blood on her mouth that hadn't disappeared. She stalked over so she was by her head and touched the blood. She grabbed Sakura's hospital gown and opened it, revealing her left breast.

"What are you doing?" Mikoto snapped.

"Sakura has chosen a mate," Kaguya said, awestruck.

"What do you mean she's chosen a mate?" Tsunade hissed.

"Tell me exactly what happened when she opened the scroll," Kaguya ordered.

"She opened the scroll, screamed, stood, set everything on fire, collapsed and then one of my Anbu teams brought them back."

"Unbelievable," Kaguya muttered.

"How did Sakura take a mate?" Tsunade asked.

"It's not just a mate, he will be her grounding. Sakura must have realised this before she was forced into a coma. She bit someone, binding her soul to them. If she ever loses control, that person can bring her back. He will never be hurt by her power should they ever lash out because he will be recognised as her mate."

"There were four people that brought her back. Itachi's team," Tsunade stated. "Yamato, gather up Team Alpha."

It wasn't long before Genma, Shisui, Itachi and Neji stood before the Hokage, just inside the room.

"You four will be let in on this secret. We're keeping it as quiet as we can. Don't need those old bitter hags on my back about this," Tsunade grumbled.

The four bowed. "Hai."

"Actually, I think the others should be let in on this as well," Kakashi stated. "Naruto's going to find out anyway and Sasuke won't be far. You might as well grab them and the other rookies. They are all too close not to notice, especially Shikamaru, Ino, Tenten and Hinata."

"Fine but that's it," Tsunade snapped.

"Grab Team Kurenai, Team Asuma, Team Gai and the rest of Team 7."

"Does that include Sai?" Yamato asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Tsunade sighed.

Twenty minutes later, they were all cramped in Sakura's room.

"Really?" Kiba asked Tsunade.

"Shut up and listen," Tsunade growled. "Most of you know about the mission Sakura, Kiba, Shino and Lee were just sent on, yes?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Their mission was to retrieve and protect a scroll stolen from one of our neighbouring towns. One of their orders was never let the enemy get their hands on the scroll at any cost. Should it have come to it, the scroll was to be opened to save it. That's what it came to and Sakura opened it."

"What was in the scroll?" Shisui asked. "Was it like some forbidden fire jutus? When we got there, everything within a mile radius was charred. Everything but our ninja."

"No. As much as I wish that that was what was inside the scroll, it wasn't. Inside the scroll, was a demon."

"Like the Kyubi?" Naruto asked.

"No. Stronger. Her name is Averus and she is the Queen of the Underworld, where the Kyubi and other tailed beasts are from. When Sakura opened the scroll, Averus entered her body. By some miracle, Sakura was able to gain control for a short amount of time and eleminate the enemy."

"Sakura is a Jinchuuriki now?" Tenten asked.

"No. Averus won't be locked up inside Sakura. Actually, we don't know what will happen right now. It can go two ways. One way is that Averus accepts Sakura as her daughter and settles inside her body, making her the Akuma-hime."

"And the other way?" Shino asked.

"Averus doesn't accept and tears Sakura apart from the inside, out."

Tenten, Ino and Hinata gasped while the others paled.

"What are we going to do?" Naruto asked. "We can't just let her die!"

"Shut up, Naruto. There's nothing we can do. It's all up to Averus."

"What I want to talk about, is her mate," Kaguya stated.

"You mean mate as in friend?" Naruto asked.

"No, as in life partner."

Naruto and Sasuke stiffened. "Sakura-chan's not allowed a boyfriend," Naruto snapped.

"Well, it's not up to you anymore," Kaguya laughed. "Besides, a mate isn't a boyfriend. The term boyfriend lacks the emotional endearment. Mate is so much more."

"Who is it?" Sasuke asked. "Who did Sakura _mate_ with?" He spat.

"While unconscious, she realised that she may lose herself to the power. She must have learnt from someone."

Everyone looked at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Those two sometimes lose themselves," Ino stated.

"Then she has seen what can happen. Luckily, there is a way to ground herself. By binding herself to a fellow human being, they will always be able to bring her back from her darkness. But should that person die, Sakura's powers will lash out uncontrollably and we could all die."

"But what if he's weak!" Naruto yelled. "What if he is easy to kill!"

"There are certain things that Sakura had to have considered to have mated. He must be worthy to Averus. He must be strong to be known as Sakura's mate. He must be dear to her. She must be attracted to him."

"How do you know she mated with anyone?" Sasuke asked.

"There is blood in Sakura's mouth. I checked her chest and there is a mark where her heart is, the mark of a mated demon."

"What if the man didn't want to be mated to her?" Shikamaru asked.

"Averus would never have allowed her to mate with someone who didn't want her."

"So Averus knew that her intended mate was attracted to Sakura as well?" Tenten asked.

Kaguya nodded.

"What if he didn't want to be mated, though?" Shikamaru asked. "He may be attracted to Sakura, but this mating ritual sounds like a lot to take in. What if he wanted her but not as a mate?"

"He didn't place a mark on her, signifying him as hers. She used a reversive mating method. She bound herself to him but not him to her. She will be his but he can still have whoever he wants because he's not bound to her."

"So it's only one-sided?" Ino asked.

"It could be two-sided. All he has to do is mark her as she did him."

"Define mark. How does this mating thing happen?" Kurenai asked.

"A bite. On the neck. Sakura has bitten a male on the neck and tasted his blood. Someone here has a bite on their neck."

"Can't it have healed?" Tsunade asked.

Katsuya shook her head. "No. The mating mark will never fade. The teeth marks will disappear to form the kanji of an animal that defines the personality of the individual."

"So who is it?" Sasuke asked.

"We have four possible candidates. These four young men here."

All eyes turned to Itachi, Shisui, Genma and Neji.

"Please reveal your necks," Tsunade ordered.

Simultaneously, the four of them pulled down their collars. All were clear except Itachi's, who had the kanji symbol for dragon.

"_Aniki_!" Sasuke choked.

"You bastard!" Naruto growled.

"Didn't you hear anything she just said?" Shisui asked, annoyed. "Itachi didn't do anything. It was Blossom that did it."

Naruto just continued to growl.

"I'm...sorry..."

Everyone turned to Sakura, who's eyes flickered open.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled in surprise.

She smiled softly and they all saw her lick her lips and her eyes widened slightly. Her eyes darkened and the room temperature dropped in degrees.

"Saku...ra...ch-" Naruto's eyes flickered red and he growled, moving to Sakura's side in an instant.

**"Okaa-sama,"** Naruto growled out, mixed with the Kyubi.

Sakura gave him a cold smile and raised her hand, brushing it through Naruto's golden locks.

"Kyubi-kun, it's been a while, my son," Sakura whispered.

"Megami-sama," Kaguya bowed.

Sakura's eyes swept over to her bowing form.

"You must be from the Kana family line," Sakura addressed.

"Yes, mistress."

"Tell me, what is your name child?"

"Kaguya, Megami-sama."

"A lovely name. Are you here to help Sakura-chan develop her powers and knowledge of my kind?"

"Hai."

"Excellent."

"Please, um...Megami-sama, is Sakura-chan going to be okay?" Hinata asked.

"Hyuga Hinata, heiress to the Hyuga clan and close friend to Sakura-chan. You may call me Averus. Sakura-chan's dearest friends need not show such formality to me. Soon, Sakura-chan and I will be one. I may never show up like this again as a seperate soul. As to your question, Sakura-chan will have to injure pain for the power I offer her but should she last, she will be fine. If not, she will go to my husband in the Underworld."

"You can't take Sakura-san to hell!" Lee spluttered.

"Ah, Rock Lee, one of Sakura-chan's admirers. Sakura-chan has accepted me completely and she understands the risks. She has no complaints about coming back to the Underworld with my husband and me."

Then her eyes landed on the mark of Itachi.

"Oh," she breathed. "The kanji for dragon marks your skin. Men like you are rare to come by. Then again, this room is filled with rare type of people. Yes, Sakura was my long lost daughter indeed."

"What do you mean by that?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm a demon. I can tell what everyone's animal would be. There are seven categories. The rat, bird, dog, butterfly, snake, cat and dragon. Not a single rat is in here, a common and normal person."

"So we're freaks?" Tenten asked.

Sakura laughed. "Of course not, hon. You're special. If you weren't Sakura would have been bored or not put up with you. She has an instinct for this kind of thing."

"Oh, what am I?" Ino asked.

"A dog. Extremely loyal, highly energetic, loves to talk but is very defensive of your friends. Kiba and Naruto-kun is the same," Sakura spoke, petting Naruto's head as he growled deep within his chest.

"And me?" Tenten asked.

"The bird. Free spirit. Make a stand when you feel it is right to do so. Can't stand being inside and idle. Hates being forced to do things. Same with Shikamaru and Lee."

"I thought Lee would be a dog," Tenten muttered, causing those around her to laugh.

"What about me, Akuma-hime?" Hinata wondered.

"Why, the beautiful butterfly of course," Sakura spoke softly. "Kind. Caring. Gentle. Nature-loving. Softly spoken and drifts with the wind. Choji, Sai and Shizune are the same."

"I bet Sasuke's a snake," Ino spoke up.

Sasuke glared at her.

"You're right. Sasuke is a snake. Stealthy. Sly. Strategic. Low-patience but won't attack unless forced to."

"Sounds about right," Tenten added.

"Who else is a snake?"

"Shino."

"Comforting."

"What does a dragon mean?" Kiba asked.

"Fearless. Brave. Highly intelligent. Protective. Possessive. Loyal. Ruthless against enemies. Ferocious in battle. Patient."

"Are there any other dragons?" Neji asked.

"Yes. Yourself, Shisui and Kakashi."

"Shisui, brave?" Genma laughed.

Shisui glared at him.

"What is Sakura?" Ino asked.

"The cat. Sly. Affectionate and loving to friends until agitated. Manipulative. Stealthy. Agile. Ferocious in battle when forced and extremely vindictive. Tsunade, Kurenai and Mikoto are also cats."

"Back to what you were saying to Itachi?" Tsunade asked.

"He is a good choice for Sakura. Not only is he strong and can handle himself, he can also keep Sakura's temper in check."

"Alright then," Tsunade said before clearing her throat. "Uchiha Itachi, while you will remain with your Anbu team, you must also keep an eye on Haruno Sakura. Is that understood?"

Itachi nodded. "Hai."

"I actually recommend you place Sakura-chan on his Anbu team. It will be better for her to get out, should she live through the transformation."

"If I want to keep this from the elders, Sakura's going to have to do things the normal way by taking the Anbu exams."

"Very well," she paused. "It's started."

"The transformation?"

"Yes."

"Shouldn't you be in pain?" Ino asked.

Sakura frowned. "Sakura-chan is fighting the pain off as well as another being in her mind."

"Another being?" Neji asked.

"Inner Sakura?" Ino, Tenten and Hinata offered.

"That's what she calls herself," Sakura confirmed.

"Who is Inner Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

"Sakura's soul is split into two," Ino tried to explain. "Inner Sakura is Sakura's blunt side. As a child, Inner Sakura was Sakura's only friend. She was everything Sakura tried to hide to be normal. As Sakura got older, Inner Sakura became Sakura's conscience, helping Sakura and keeping her spirit up while keeping things realistic. I met her when we were fighting in the preliminaries for the Chunin Exams. She forced me out of Sakura's mind and almost killed me inside her mind."

"So Sakura can't be mind-controlled?" Shino asked.

Ino shook her head. "No. I've tried. We wanted to find out more about Inner Sakura and see what she can do."

"So right now, she's fighting off the pain?" Tenten asked.

Sakura nodded. "It's a losing battle."

Then she clenched her eyes shut and grit her teeth. When her eyes opened, they were lighter green and the air felt clearer. Sakura was back in control of her body. She grasped the bed sheets, ripping it under her strength.

"Okay, everyone out!" Tsunade yelled as she and Shizune moved to Sakura's side.

The people rushed out as Sakura let out a scream.


	4. Chapter 4

A week later...

Sakura's heart stopped a few times and she bled internally. The girls kept constant watch over her, Ino and Hinata healing anything that may cause her pain. There had been an attack just after Averus went under by Iwa, though it wasn't near the hospital. Unfortunately, Sakura's apartment was in the area of the attack and the whole block was destroyed.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open.

_**'You made it,'**_ Averus spoke in her mind.

_'Will I ever have to go through that pain again?'_

_**'No.'**_

_'So it worked?'_ Sakura wondered.

_**'Yes. You're a very strong girl, Sakura-chan. Lucifer would be proud.'**_

Sakura smiled.

"Thank you, kaa-san."

_**'You're welcome, my child.'**_

Tsunade walked in then. She was busy checking the folders that she didn't notice Sakura was awake until she looked up into emerald orbs. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Sakura!" She gasped.

Sakura gave her a gentle smile. "Tsunade-shishou-"

Her words were cut off when Tsunade caught her in a tender embrace, not willing to crush her with her strength all for a hug.

Yet.

Sakura's eyes widened before they softened again.

"I was so worried," Tsunade murmured against Sakura's hair.

Sakura hugged her back. "I'm a stubborn person, Shishou. I got it from you, remember?"

Tsunade choked on a laugh. "The others will be so happy to hear that you're alright."

* * *

Sakura couldn't help but cry when she saw all her friends there with her.

"I take it Averus-sama has explained everything to you?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Good, well, because of your special circumstances and the mate you chose, you need to join the Anbu but in order to keep all of this from the elders and Danzou, you will have to join the Jounin rank and then Anbu after."

"W-Wait! A m-mate?!" Sakura gasped.

Everyone was suddenly smirking at her.

"Why, Sakura, didn't you know that you took a mate before you went under?" Tsunade asked teasingly.

"N-No…who did I choose?"

Itachi stepped forward and showed her the mark of a mate. Sakura choked on her saliva.

"_You_!" Sakura screeched. "But why? I-…when-…you-…oh my god," Sakura groaned, blushing like crazy.

Itachi couldn't help but chuckle.

"You're not really disappointed, are you Sakura-chan?" Itachi asked, voice seductive and husky. "After all, you wouldn't have picked me if you were physically attracted to me, would you?"

Sakura's blush was full on now and she couldn't deny what he said. He already knew!

"Stop picking on Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled.

'_Thank you, Naruto.'_

"That reminds me," Tsunade spoke, glaring at the boys. "I believe you have something you need to tell Sakura, isn't there?"

Sasuke, Neji, Shino, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Lee and Sai paled.

"Let's leave them alone for a bit, shall we?" Tsunade asked, ushering everyone out.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Please don't be mad at us, Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered, ashamed.

After they explained, Sakura was quiet.

"Sakura-chan? Please say something."

"I am upset that you went through our personal medical files and that you would go behind my back and do this. But at the same time, I can't really blame you."

"Huh!?" They all yelled.

"Well, I can see why you would be angry that my parents didn't show up when I was so close to death and that the idea of something traumatic happening was so farfetched since I'm not the type that that happens to. I know you were all just looking out for me and you couldn't ask me yourself about my parents since I was out and so I forgive you. But next time, please respect my privacy."

"O-Of course!"

"Good. All is well then."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried and hugged her.

Sakura smiled and hugged him back.

* * *

**Sorry it's so short but I wanted to give you something, even though I'm stuck.**

**I only wanted Sakura to have a demon and have no idea what to do with this now?**

**Help wanted.**

**Dii**


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